


Sitting in the Dark

by torigates



Category: How I Met Your Mother
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-11-04
Updated: 2013-11-04
Packaged: 2017-12-31 12:44:59
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,299
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1031840
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/torigates/pseuds/torigates
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>It wasn’t that Robin couldn’t love, or even that she didn’t want to, it was just that she had never allowed herself to open up to another person in the way that Marshall and Lily opened up to each other. She couldn’t, not even with Ted.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Sitting in the Dark

“Marshall, close your eyes.”

“Woah, I don’t know how you interpreted any of that as me hitting on you – ”

“Just close your eyes.”

Marshall closed his eyes and Robin took a moment to observe him. It was true, what he said about her—in part. It wasn’t that Robin couldn’t love, or even that she didn’t want to, it was just that she had never allowed herself to open up to another person in the way that Marshall and Lily opened up to each other. She couldn’t, not even with Ted.

It was true that she had been harsh on Lily and Marshall’s relationship, but what he said to her was worse. _“Maybe you think they’re stupid because you’ve never been in a relationship long enough to develop them. You don’t understand love.”_ Just because Robin hadn’t been able to open up to someone in the same way that Lily and Marshall were able to open up to each other didn’t mean she didn’t understand love.

But what he said about her was wrong too. Robin understood love. She was capable of love. She _was_. She just chose to show her love in different ways, that’s all. Lily and Marshall, they were the real deal. Robin knew that. Most of the time she didn’t want that for herself, but watching them together, watching Marshall talk about Lily—it made her feel lonely.

Watching Marshall doing everything in his power to get to Lily made Robin want what they had. If only for a minute.

She leaned in, her hand landing on the passenger seat next to Marshall’s thigh. The fingers of her other hand splayed on his neck. Marshall jerked back slightly turning to face her, eyes wide.

Robin leaned in and pressed their lips together. They sat like that, neither one moving for a long moment. Robin curled her fingers into Marshall’s neck, and pulled him towards her slightly. Marshall leaned into her, kissing her.

Robin breathed in, inhaling the moment. Marshall’s hands tugged at the back of her elbows, drawing her into his space. Blue light filtered through the snow and everything was quiet, eerie. Robin felt the centre console pressing into her side, reminding her where she was, what she was doing.

“Marshall,” she whispered against his lips. He hummed in response and pulled her closer. Robin’s seatbelt was digging into her side painfully. She reached between their bodies to free herself, and it clicked loudly into the silence.

The sound seemed to draw both their attentions, and they stared down at Robin’s hands. When Robin looked up, Marshall was staring at her. He looked different in the darkness, Robin couldn’t quite read his expression.

“I’m sorry,” Robin said quietly, looking down at her lap. Everything was so messed up lately. _She_ was so messed up lately, and Robin didn’t have a clue how to go about fixing things.  
Kissing Marshall—her best friend’s _husband_ —was only the latest in a long string of bad choices.

Marshall’s seatbelt clicked loudly, drawing Robin’s attention back towards him. He still hadn’t spoken. He reached out and wrapped his fingers around her wrist. Robin stared down at their joined hands, and couldn’t help but notice how large his was compared to hers. He pulled her towards him and kissed her again. The other hand planted firmly at her hip.

It was wrong. Robin knew that, but she still found herself awkwardly climbing over the seat, Marshall tugging desperately at her hips.

Marshall had been there for her lately, in a way that no one else had. He was the only one who noticed how sad and homesick she had been feeling. He made her feel less alone. When Robin thought of it that way, it didn’t seem so wrong to climb onto his lap. It didn’t seem wrong when he pushed the seat back giving her more room to manoeuvre over him, and it didn’t seem wrong to plant her hands on his shoulders and press his whole body into the seat underneath him.

It felt right. So, so right.

Robin sucked his lower lip into her mouth and Marshall let out a sigh. His hands which had been stroking her sides clenched down, grinding their bodies together. He wrapped one arm around her waist, holding their bodies together and Robin gasped.

It was awkward, cramped and uncomfortable, but Robin couldn’t bring herself to care. Marshall pushed her jacket off her shoulders and Robin shivered at the sudden cold. She shook her arms free, and immediately turned her attention towards releasing Marshall from his own coat.

His own arms newly free, Marshall’s hands rested on her hips. Robin could feel his palms brushing against her bare skin and she shivered again. His hands slid up her sides taking her shirt with them and Robin was forced to sit up slightly.

She banged her head against the roof of her car. “Ouch,” Robin said chuckling slightly.

“Are you okay?” Marshall asked, his hand cupping the base of her skull.

Robin nodded. “Just clumsy,” she said. “This was a lot easier when I was sixteen.”

Marshall chuckled. “We’re too tall for your tiny car.”

Her smiled faded. _Lily_ wouldn’t be too tall for this. “What are we doing?” she asked. “What am _I_ doing? Oh god.”

“Hey,” Marshall said, and ran his hands up and down her back. “It’s okay.”

Robin felt horrible. “You love Lily,” she said.

Marshall nodded. “So do you,” he said simply. “She loves you too.”

Robin groaned. “That makes this so much worse,” she said and buried her face in his neck.

“Hey,” Marshall said again, his hands a steady presence on her back. “I love you, too.”

Robin leaned back to look at him. He smiled at her, and Robin just felt everything. Everything the last few months had thrown at her and it was too much. Unbidden, tears sprang to her eyes. She was overwhelmed. “Thank you,” she whispered.

He leaned forward and this time Robin _knew_ it was right. It was, it was, it was.

She kissed him hard and Marshall held on to her tightly. It was awkward and cramped and uncomfortable, but Robin allowed herself to let go of all that. She let go of every horrible thing that had happened to her lately and enjoyed the moment.

Marshall’s hands migrated from her back down her sides and over her stomach. Robin could feel the muscles there fluttering under his touch and she let out a shaky breath. He gripped her breasts over her bra and a soft moan escaped her lips.

“Robin,” he gasped when she pressed down against his erection.

“Oh god,” she said. “Oh god, oh god, oh god.” His hands slipped below her waistline and Robin shuttered against his body, drawing closer to his warmth. She fumbled with his belt and zipper, and he lifted his hips as she tugged his pants down.

He groaned her name again into her ear and everything went hazy around the edges. Everything was hands and lips and tongue and gasps and Robin let go of everything and threw her head back banging it against the roof for the second time.

Their breathing was heavy and ragged in the darkness of the car. Marshall stroked her back again as they both came down and after as they straightened their clothes.

After, when Robin had climbed back into the driver’s seat they sat in silence for several minutes.  
“Close your eyes,” Robin said.

“Woah,” Marshall replied. “What part of that did you interpret as me hitting on you?”

Robin gave him a look. “Just do it,” she said. Once his eyes were closed she reached up and opened the sunroof. Snow poured down on them. “Let’s go get your woman,” she said.


End file.
